Rack or cabinet mounted patch panels for organizing and protecting fiber optic cable interconnectors are known.
Typically, the patch panels include an enclosure, a tray, slidably received with the enclosure for storing cable, and a connector panel, mounted on the tray, for supporting fiber optic connectors associated with the cables. Fiber optic patch panels provide an interface between incoming fiber optic cables and optoelectronic equipment, and by providing access to an organized array of fibers and fiber connections, facilitate fiber splicing of optical and testing of the fiber optic system.
Known fiber optic patch panels are deficient in several respects.
Known fiber optic patch panels provide no means for designating service or destination of connected fiber optic cables other than conventional labels that detract from product aesthetics and are difficult to revise as installation changes are made. They are restrictive in that they cannot easily accommodate multiple cable connector types on the same panel and do not permit replacement with new connector types as user needs and interface standards evolve.
Once installed, known fiber optic patch panels are difficult to access for change or repair related work in that they are fixedly attached to equipment frames and must be either fully dismanteled in order to access, splice or cable connections within the panel or must be approached from the rear which is often obscured by multiple feeder cables and other equipment thereby making it difficult to service. Because these limitations often make it necessary to assemble panel connections and to perform cable routing before mounting these panel, they are difficult and cumbersome to install.
Known fiber optic patch panels also have the limitation that they lack a systematic means for routing user administered patch cords to permit an organized method for cable management without inadvertantly causing tight bend radii that are known have detrimental effects on optical fiber transmission properties and which may damage expensive cable assemblies. Poor patch cable management further inhibits the patching process by making cable identification difficult and prone to error that may result in accidental disconnection of active devices and/or inadvertant movement or disturbance of nearby connections.
Known fiber optic patch panels lack an effective integral means for securing service cable entering the tray area from the rear. Finally, because active fiber cables may pose a health hazard by causing eye damage if viewed from straight on, prior art panels with flat mounted connectors oriented perpendicular to the front surface are not desirable, those with patch connectors mounted parallel to the front surface overcome this condition, but suffer the disadvantage that connectors are difficult to identify and access for cable administration.